Before the end of the Iran ceasefire Optimism on stock markets in East Asia continues
Stock market prices in East Asia have risen again ahead of the end of the current ceasefire in Iran. South Korea's leading index, the Kospi, climbed by around two percent one hour after the start of trading.
21.04.2026, 04:33
21.04.2026, 08:16
SDA
This means that it is currently even higher than at the beginning of the current Iran war at the end of February. The Japanese Nikkei 225 rose by just under 1.2 percent at the same time - 10 a.m. local time.
The markets in Seoul and Tokyo are thus apparently betting on a possible agreement between Washington and Tehran despite the ongoing tensions in the Middle East. Shortly before the ceasefire between Iran and the USA expired, a continuation of the negotiations was still uncertain. Both parties have recently been intransigent.
US President Donald Trump had announced that he would once again send a delegation to Pakistan's capital Islamabad for negotiations. A first round of negotiations between high-ranking representatives from Washington and Tehran took place there just over a week ago. However, the talks ended without any results. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi recently reproached the USA again, but did not explicitly rule out a new round of negotiations.
Oil prices have risen slightly compared to the same time the previous day. The price of a barrel (159 liters) of Brent crude oil for delivery in June is currently 94.8 dollars. The economies in East Asia are comparatively dependent on oil supplies from the Middle East.
